If you don’t want to use a handheld microphone or wear a headset, a desktop microphone is an option. A gooseneck USB microphone is ideal. It should be arranged ergonomically so that the microphone is close to your mouth while dictating.
Having your hands free is super useful for a clinician. If you have two screens, you could be looking at information on the chart while dictating your note. For a radiologist in their reading room, they might be looking at an image in the computer while dictating. A pathologist might be looking into her microscope and dictating her findings at the same time.
To start/stop the microphone in Chartnote you can use a hotkey or keyboard shortcut: Control + ↓ (down arrow), or Command + ↓ if you are using a Mac. You can also say a voice command, like Stop microphone, when you are done dictating.
But since the idea is to be completely hands-free, a USB programmable footswitch comes in handy. These pedals can be programmed to activate the hotkey combination to start/stop your microphone.
Do the math. If it takes a minute for you to log in into the computer + EHR, and you see 20 patients a day, you can probably save more than 20 minutes a day. An hour a week and 48 hours after a year. 60 days of your life after you retire from practicing. 😲